Our Opinion: Accountability

Universities see funding tied to metrics

New standards set by the state to determine how well public universities are performing bode well so far for Florida State and Florida A&M universities.

This is good news in that both universities are critical to Tallahassee's economic development.

The more success they have in meeting state mandates that are tied to additional state funding, the better it becomes for the universities' own stability and development.

According to a Tallahassee Democrat story this week, Florida State earned the fifth-highest score among state universities and is in line to receive $8.6 million, while Florida A&M will receive about $3 million more in funding.

The state has devised a 50-point system to determine how well each university is performing.

Universities not meeting the 26-point minimum were the University of West Florida, Florida Atlantic University and New College, which missed by one point.

The new standards are part of a larger state effort to make universities more accountable, increase their value for students and improve their academic performance. The goal also is to get university presidents to make greater strides toward improving graduation and retention rates. So far, the Board of Governors has established 10 metrics used to determine how well universities are performing.

But the new standards have been met with some opposition, including concerns raised by FSU President Eric Barron. For instance, one includes the percentage of recent graduates who are working and what type of salaries they are generating. Dr. Barron makes a strong point that currently this is limited to recording graduates who remain in Florida, and it does not take into account those who leave Florida and accept positions elsewhere.

At the same time, the program has many positives. In past years, universities have experienced deep cuts to their budgets, forcing presidents to re-evaluate those majors that are not attracting a healthy number of students, and instituting cutbacks in faculty. For the past two years, Florida A&M has had to make critical decisions about its standards of admission as the university tries to improve its retention rate and its graduation rate.

While the new standards apply more pressure on university presidents in holding them accountable, the state also is being fair in rewarding higher education with extra money with some fundamental measures attached.